Biopsy punch



Jan. 22, 1957 LEIBINGER ETAL 2,778,357

BIOPSY PUNCH Filed Nov. 5, 1955 United States Patent BIOPSY PUNCH Ludwig Leibinger, Muhlheim (Danube), Germany, and Howard Glenn Frank, New York, N. Y.

Application November 5, 1953, Serial No. 390,354 Claims priority, application Germany November 6, 1952 2 Claims. (Cl. 12S-2) The present invention relates to a surgical instrument, and more particularly to the type of instrument known as a biopsy punch. Surgical instruments of this type are used by surgeons for removing specimens of tissue from the walls of body cavities, more particularly from the inside of the uterus, in order to enable laboratory examination of the specimen.

Various types of biopsy punch are already known, but they generally have one or more disadvantages which it is the purpose of this invention to remove. They are generally constructed in the form of a pair of forceps comprising a pair of members each having an actuating handle at one end and a cutting tip at the other end. One common disadvantage of most known types of biopsy punch is that the cutting end thereof is relatively difdcult to insert into the body cavity. Another disadvantage is that the cutting tips do not penetrate readily into the tissue or that they cut painfully which is extremely unpleasant for the patient. These disadvantages originate generally from the fact either that the instrument is somewhat unwieldy or that the line of sight of the operating surgeon is obstructed by his hand or by portions of the instrument which project into that line of sight.

The purpose of the biopsy punch according to the present invention is to retain the advantage of known types of biopsy punch while removing the foregoing disadvantages. Still further advantages thereof will appear from the ensuing description of a biopsy punch in accordance with the present invention.

'I'he biopsy punch according to the present invention is so constructed that the intermediate portion thereof extends substantially along a straight line while the operating or cutting tip thereof is bent outwardly from that straight line in one direction and the actuating members or handles are bent out of that straight line in the opposite direction. The punch is preferably so constructed that the two cutting tips or jaw members thereof are provided with open bottoms, and the lower jaw member, into which the upper jaw penetrates in use, has a bottom Wall of grid construction, so that the specimen removed from the body cavity cannot fall out when the instrument is removed.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating an example thereof wherein: Figure 1 isa side elevation of the instrument according to the present invention when in use; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a detail of punch; and Figure 3 illustrates the locking device.

The biopsy punch according to the present invention comprises a pair of elongated elements and 11 which are connected by a hinge to each other at 12. In use, the biopsy punch is held so that the members 10 and 11 lie substantially in a common vertical plane. As seen in Figure 1, the operating tip or punch extends to the left of the plane containing the members 10 and 11. In that position, the finger grips or handles 14 and 15, which are more clearly seen in Figure 3, extend to the ice right of the common plane containing the members 10 and 11. Thus, the handles 14 and 15 are each connected to one of the members 11 and 10 by intermediate portions 11a and lila integral with the members 11 and 10 but bent outwardly therefrom in a direction opposite to the tip 13.

As seen in Figure l, the instrument can be inserted into a body cavity with the punch extending to one side and the handles extending to the other side of a direct line of sight indicated by the arrow 16. Thus also the surgeon has a clear View of the specimen at the time when he is removing it from the tissue.

The cutting end of the biopsy punch according to the present invention comprises a first jaw member 13a which may be said to be of female shape in that it is constructed to receive the second jaw member or punch 13b. The bottom of the member 13a is open, and crossed wires 17 are provided to constitute a grid thereby retaining in the member 13a the portion of tissue removed as a specimen by the die or punch member 13b as it penetrates through the tissue into the jaw member 13a. The jaw member or die 13b may be said to be of male shape in that it is complementary to the female jaw number 13a, and it is also preferably of open construction as indicated at 13e. The open construction of both jaw members facilitates cutting and enables tissue adhering thereto to be properly removed at the time when the instrument is cleaned. The hinge 12, which may be of known construction, is capable of guiding the jaw members 13a and 13b in proper cutting relationship to protect the cutting edges thereof.

In the neighborhood of handles 14 and 15 there is provided a known ratchet device 18 whereby the jaw members 13a and 13b are locked in closed position as soon as the specimen has been removed. Thus, the instrument may be laid aside while care is being given to the patient.

Due to the substantially S-shaped construction of the instrument, with the two ends thereof inclined in opposite directions away from the intermediate portion, when the instrument is placed on the surgeons instrument table, the handle will occupy a raised position, whereby the surgeon may readily grasp the instrument without having to feel around and lift it off the surface.

The biopsy punch according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown by way of example. The invention includes all modifications and variations thereof falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A biopsy punch comprising a pair of elongated mutually hinged members extending in a common plane containing a hinge, inter-engaging jaw members having complementarily shaped male and female portions integral with said elongated members extending therefrom and inclined outwardly from said common plane to one side thereof, and an actuating handle integral with each elongated member and extending therefrom to the other side of said common plane.

2. A biopsy punch as in claim l wherein said female and male portions comprise respectively an open-bot tomed, de-receiving member having a grid across the bottom thereof, occupying a lower position in use of the instrument, and an open-bottomed die member for engagement in the die-receiving member and occupying an upper position in use of the instrument.

Kennedy Apr. 30, 1907 Weihmann May 25, 1954 

